getting ready for the big annual fireworks show... a huge celebration that brings out thousands of people..mauree n? (maureen)that's right catherine.....san francisco is bracing for some big crowds to turnout to watch the display that set to go off in the skies behind me in about 7 hours.luckily the fog is no where to be seen..so it's bound to be a good show...but it is cold and windy.....so you might want to wear a wool beanie, instead of a party hat if you are coming out to watch the action in person. the metal barricades are out and ready for deployment....a nd there are plenty of porto potties lined up along the embarcadero near the ferry building....embarcadero plaza is ground zero for the crowds coming out to watch the skies light up at midnight....to welcome in 2019....here it's wild you have to have a lot of patiencepedi cab drivers working tonight are expecting it to be a busy night....but say it's not easy moneypeople

everywhere cars everywhere lots of people not paying attention and lots of drunk people so it's not for the faint heartedfor those looking to get around....muni will be free tonight after 8pm until 5am tuesday.....and bart will be running until 3am with extra event trains but certain trains will be skipping stops to help ease congestion.....li ke stopping at the montgomery stop instead of the embarcadero and vice versa so pay attention. the crowd is very intense sometimes you wonder where all these people coming from how come i never get to see so many peoplethis vendor setting up this afternoon says he will break down before the crowds get here....since it's too packed to try and sell his goods. but that's not the only reason he doesn't like to work on new year's eve.the main event is to be able to join other people in the celebration right? instead of just pulling in what you can put in your pocketthe main event that will draw people to this area is the fireworks show....which you can see being assembled on a barge in this video.those working on teh pyrotechnics say the barge will be anchored about 1000 feet in the bay ....off pier 14....with the best places to watch...anywhe re along the embarcadero south of the ferry building....highe r elevations like russian hill....and across the bay at treasure island.tourists i found trying to scope out a spot early say they can't wait. it's great to start the new year with a bang you know fireworks what better way to start the new year

(maureen)the people putting on that pyrotechnic display say this wind might have them take some extra safety precautions....but they do not expect the gusty weather to affect the show they are going to put up in the sky. of course for those of you who don't want to brave the cold....you can watch the fireworks live from the comfort of your coach....by tuning into kron4 news.maureen kelly kron4 news. (ken) while most people are happy with "official" fireworks shows, such as the one we'll be covering later tonight, the illegal variety continues to be a problem. (catherine) as kron four's rob fladeboe reports - the city of san jose is once again calling on residents to take advantage of it's on-line reporting tool. rob fladeboe/san jose "...the flag whipping in the wind here outside san jose's fire station one underscores a reminder fromfire officials here that fireworks are illegal, dangerous and can result in a hefty fine..." (high winds)with high winds

expected to lash the region through new year's day, structure fires could spread much faster and despite recent rains, there are stl some places where fireworks could spark a vegetation fire.(spent fireworks from the 4th of july) as this scene from the morning of july 5th clearly shows, some people are either unaware of or are simply ignoring warnings about celebrating with fireworks and are risking injury. fire chief robert sapien junior is calling on the community to help stop the use, possession and sale of illegal fireworks.(on line reporting tool)residents are being urged to "snap, click and report violators on-line. snap a photo of the alleged violator, log in to the city's on-line reporting tool and provide as much information as possible. one can upload up to five separate photos or videos. code enforcement will follow up with possible citations of $500 for a first offense.(legal fireworks)there are no permitted shows scheduled in san jose on new year's eve so any fireworks one might see will be illegal

and subject to reporting and a possible fine.rob fladeboe/san jose "....the city's on line reporting tool will remain active through january 6th and again for the lunar new year starting on february 1st. in san jose rob fladeboe kron4news. (catherine)(catherine) a warning tonight from the national weather service... the north bay mountains, the santa cruz mountains and the east bay hills are all under a high wind advisory this new year's eve(ken) kron 4's haaziq madyun has more on the effects of the strong winds. the tional weather service has issued a wind advisory here in the bay area. winds are expected to reach 20 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. you want to be on the lookout for strong winds that can down limbs, whole trees and power

linesfremont police tweeted this new year's eve photo of a massive tree that came down on liberty street between sundale and walnut. in fact fremont police say they have received several calls for service involving downed trees throughout the citythe high wind advisory also includes the likelyhood of scattered power outages during this perioddrivers on bay area bridges will feel the impact of the blustery wind. those behind the wheels of high profile vehicles or those pulling trailers may also experience difficulty on the roadthe hind wind advisory is expected to until new year's morning...in san francisco haaziq madyun kron4news (anchor1) taking a live look outside-- our sutro camera over looking (anchor 2) time now to check on our weather... with chief meteorologist lawrence karnow. lawrence karnow: it was a gusty end to the new year with mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures. highs were in the 50s. skies will be mostly clear and very windy and cold.

it will be in the 30s and 40s by midnight. on the satellite you can see high pressure building in over california. gusty winds will blow through tomorrow morning before calming in the afternoon. highs tomorrow will be cool and in the 50s under sunny skies. there is a chance of rain next weekend. next weekend.

(catherine) be sure to tune into kron 4 as we ring in the new year. grant lodes and justine waldman will count us down to 2019... capped off with a huge fireworks show over the bay bridge. it is the only live fireworks show in the bay area. new years live kicks off at 11:30 p-m tonight only on kron 4... and we will have a preview for you right here at 5:30. (ken) after another year of intense wildfires across california... pg&e could be forced to make some big changes.(catherine) capitol bureau reporter ashley zavala is in sacramento.. she's outside the public utilities commision office with what this could mean... with pg&e under investigation for its possible involvment in recent deadly wildfires... federal prosecutors are warning the utility may have violated its probabation from

the 2010 san bruno pipeline blast.that filing comes just days after the state attorney general told a federal judge pg&e could be prosecuted for murder and other criminal charges for wildfiresin the last two years if investigators find the utility recklessly operated its equipment. in a statement, pg&e said in part "... we are focused on assessing our infrastructure with the goal of further enhancing safety and helping protect all of the customers we serve from the ever-increasing threat of wildfires...meanwhile - state regulators say they are in the process of investigating pg&e's safety culture. the public utilities commission is also considering several options including breaking up the utlity and replacing members of its board and management. (ken) raiders are making some new starts with the new year. with their stadium home up in the air... today the team made a much anticipated announcement of the future of the n-f-l franchise. (caytherine) and we're taking alook at how first responders are protecting you if you head out tonight on the embarcadero for your new years celebrations. (ken) and we're heading

out live to las vegas to see how they re counting down to the new year in just 2 and a half minutes. (catherine) people in south korea gathered south korea people in (catherine)seconds>

(catherine) people in south korea gathered around a symbolic bell for the new year....ringing it as people counted down to 2019 together. this was happening in central seoul... the bell has been around a long time... it wascreated in 1396. these days - it's rung only at midnight on new year's eve. (catherine) 2019 is fast approaching and so is our live celebration of the new year. kron4 is excited to bring you music, acts, and tons of fun all live from las vegas as

we ring in 2019.(ken) hailey frances is live from the south point hotel and casino in las vegas with more. hailey? (hailey)you all know about the ball dropping in time square- but las vegas has now claimed the title of america's party for new years eve. and right here on (your station) you will experience all the fun and excitement visitors and locals alike will find across the city tonight.5 live bands- acts including the plain white t's, and it all culminates with a live fireworks show on the vegas strip.take videoand this is a fireworks show like no other. seven hotels all along the vegas strip will be setting off a coordinated display of fireworks right at midnight. this fireworks show will go on for a solid 8 minutes- and trust me, you will not be disappointed.the strip will be shut down for traffic- and party goers will pour into the street from all the casinos, bars and restaurants to watch the show. (hailey)along with cameras positioned all along the strip- we also have a helicopter up in the air to

bring the whole thing to you. reporting live from las vegas i'm (reporter)

(catherine) i'm (reporter) (catherine) that all starts at 8 p-m right here on kron4. you can also watch live on our website and be part of the fun by tagging your comments and photos with the hashtag #vegasnye. (catherine) we've talked

about the fact that fireworks will be lighting up the sky over san francisco in a few hours.. the fireworks show is expected to be spectacular tonight... (ken) and as lawrence just told us, if you're going to be out along the embarcadero it will be cold! kron 4's dan thorn has a preview of what we will see during "kron 4 news years live." and how security is stepping up to keep you safe tonight.

their response..sot: we're gonna expand our activation with our emergency operations center so will have folks from the police department from other city agencies to have representatives here..the additional police, firefighters and other first responders will help with the effort and help coordinate resources citywide. monday night's chilly temperatures are also being kept in mind.. sot: it's gonna be cold a lot of folks may not know it. it looks like clear skies but dress in layers..> lawrence layers..> lawrence layers..>

lawrence karnow: it was a gusty end to the new year with mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures. highs were in the 50s. skies will be mostly clear and very windy and cold. it will be in the 30s and 40s by midnight. on the satellite you can see high pressure building in over california. gusty winds will blow through tomorrow morning before calming in the afternoon. highs tomorrow will be cool and in the 50s under sunny skies. there is a chance of rain next weekend.

(catherine) taking a live look outside-- overlooking the embarcdero in san francisco where our own new year's celbration will be held tonight.(ken) time now to check on our weather... with chief meteorologist lawrence karnow. (ken) tomorrow is national hangover day... and if you day...hangover is national tomorrow (ken) karnow. lawrence meteorologist with chief our weather... to check on time now (ken) tonight.will be held celbration year's own new where our san francisco embarcdero in next weekend.chance of rain there is a sunny skies. layers..>dress in layers..> lawrence karnow: it was a gusty end to the new year with mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures. highs were in the 50s. skies will be mostly clear and very windy and cold. it will be 40s by midnight. on the satellite you can see high pressure building in over california. gusty winds will blow through morning before calming in the afternoon. highs tomorrow will be cool and in the 50s under sunny skies. there is a chance of rain next weekend. next weekend.

(catherine) taking a live look outside-- (ken) tomorrow (ken) (ken) tomorrow is national

hangover day... and if you are worried too much partying tonight might lead to a nasty hangover tomorrow then we have so tricks for you to try tonight.

< 2... 1... happy new year! ámusicá>(ken) hong kong popped off the new year with high energy... gourgeous colorful fire works over the water there. (ken) now if your new year's eve plans include adult beverages along with your fireworks tonight.... (catherine) we have some advice on how to avoid a new year's day hangover. here's kim hutcherson with today's health minute. don't let that holiday hangover bring you down.

understanding why you may be feeling that way after drinking gives you the power to counter its effects.first- hydrate. when you drink alcohol, you may notice you're going to the bathroom more often to urinate. that's because alcohol suppresses the natural production of an antidiuretic hormone called vasopressin, that keeps us from going too much.losing too many fluids will dehydrate you and effect your recovery.try drinking electrolyte-rich water in between alcoholic beverages. you don't want to lose essential minerals like potassium, that's critical for fighting fatigue.so eat a banana or any potassium rich foods after drinking.don't drink on an empty stomach. eating first, will slow the alcohol from being absorbed by the body too fast.according to the centers for disease control and prevention, alcohol affects every organ in the body, so moderation is key. for today's health minute, i'm kim hutcherson. (ken) people are going to start pouring into the city soon as we prepare for our new years eve celbrations on the embarcadero. at 5:30 we

are hearing from our san francisco first responders on how they are going to make sure we stay safe tonight.

(catherine) there were spectacular

views from australia..as roughly a million-and-a-half people watched the fireworks over the sydney harbour. the bridge display - and the huge turnout makes this one of the biggest shows in the world.. (ken) as these (ken) as these sights are as these sights are fascinating to watch we want to get over to chief meteorologist lawrence karnow with what we can expect for our new year's celebrations tonight. lawrence karnow: it was a gusty end to the new year with

mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures. highs were in the 50s. skies will be mostly clear and very windy and cold. it will be in the 30s and 40s by midnight. on the satellite you can see high pressure building in over california. gusty winds will blow through tomorrow morning before calming in the afternoon. highs tomorrow will be cool and in the 50s under sunny skies. there is a chance of rain next weekend.